Social Eatz

I was searching for a quick and casual place to eat around the Bloomingdale’s area.  I searched Yelp because I am not a huge fan of the girly places near there, such as Serendipity and Alice’s Teacup.  I came across Social Eatz which I have been seeing in the Tasting Table newsletters and has had publicity from Top Chef (which I never watched).  Since I was meeting an adventurous friend, she agreed to try this new place with me.  They don’t open for dinner until 5:30 and we were trying to make it to a Good Friday service by 6:30.  The menu is quite witty and charming.  The food was introduced to us by our server as classic American fare with an Asian twist.  Although the Yelp reviews led me to believe it was going to be hit or miss, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal.  We started with Spring Roll appetizers and before the main course they gave us scented hot towels for our hands!  We had flavored unfiltered Ginger Ale- I only recommend this if you are a huge fan of ginger.  It was quite strong.  The Hanoi Burger was very tasty and my Tilapia Tacos were delicious as well.  Flavor, texture, taste, all good.  The fries, though, [insert dramatic pause here] the fries.  Seasoned and served with a spicy cheddar and sake sauce, these shoestring fries were out of this world.  At first what attracted me to the menu was the Korean Beef Tacos.  I’m glad I didn’t order it, though, because I would have been comparing them to the ones I had in L.A. off the Kogi Truck.  That is a post for another day.   If you are on the East Side, try Social Eatz.  The food was good, the service was friendly, and we were served quickly and made it to church on time.

Spring Rolls and Ginger Ale

Malcolm Gladwell was Right About Ketchup!

I was reading What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell.  All of the articles in it were fascinating but the one about ketchup was something I recently experienced when I bought the “No Salt Added” version of Heinz.  The article can be found here on Gladwell dot com.  He starts with the question, “Mustard now comes in dozens of varieties.  Why has ketchup stayed the same?”  In short, he begins by writing about the rise of Grey Poupon and makes his way into the history of ketchup and the market research that ketchup has managed to defy.  Gladwell writes, “The taste of Heinz’s ketchup began at the tip of the tongue, where our receptors for sweet and salty first appear, moved along the sides, where sour notes seem the strongest, then hit the back of the tongue, for umami and bitter, in one long crescendo.  How many things in the supermarket run the sensory spectrum like this?”  All this to say that I tried to be a bit healthier by buying the “No Salt Added” version of Heinz but I was disappointed.  It’s just not the same.  You should read the research that helped get us 36 varieties of Ragú spaghetti sauce.  It’s very interesting.  At least now I know why I don’t like anything that’s not Heinz (the original formula)!  Click here to Splat a friend!

Phö Băng

Yes, there are countless jokes out there about the Vietnamese dish called pho.  The correct pronunciation of it is fuh like fun minus the n.  It is actually a similar pronunciation for a Chinese rice noodle called fun.  In case you haven’t heard any of the jokes, there’s, “What the pho?” and plenty more out there.  Pho is a staple in Southeast Asia.  It’s rice noodles bathed in a spiced beef broth accompanied by various cuts of beef and garnished with bean sprouts, basil, lemon, cilantro, jalapeños and onions.  I always add Sriracha hot sauce into my bowl of pho as well.  Anthony Bourdain once compared his steaming bowl of pho to paradise and I don’t feel that he was far from the truth.  A friend and I ate at a chain called Pho Bang in Chinatown on Mott Street.  There’s also one in Elmhurst that I frequent.  It’s where I go whenever I am craving Vietnamese food.  Delicious pho sure!

10¢ Wings at Croxley’s

I don’t normally hang out in Long Island but I decided to join my co-workers for a pre-Thanksgiving Buffalo Wing night at Croxley Ales.  I had been hearing about these famous wing nights and I finally got to experience one.  The evening was preceded by a discussion of the name Buffalo wings.  Without even having any beer the discussion we had was quite ridiculous and I will not recreate it for you here.  I suppose I could Google or Wiki it but perhaps an informed reader can educate me.  Also, I’ve never been to Buffalo so I’ve never had true Buffalo wings, just like I’ve never had a true Philly cheese steak or true Chicago pizza either.   I had a pear cider and then I lost track of the number of wings that I had.  I think I stopped counting on purpose in order to prevent myself from quantifying the guilt!  I loved the hot wings but people ordered mostly mild or medium.  I couldn’t taste the difference between the mild and medium but it didn’t really matter because the bleu cheese sauce prevailed, anyways.  The wings were great, the company was fantastic, and the beers were plentiful.  ’Twas a great night.

Peanut Butter & Co and Elvis

Another Elvis reference I found recently is at the adorable and ultra-fun Peanut Butter & Co in The Village. Yes, some people may scoff at the idea of paying $6-8 for a peanut butter sandwich but the peanut butter that they make is pretty darn good. It is a peanut butter paradise. They serve The Elvis, which is a “grilled peanut butter sandwich stuffed with bananas and honey.  Try it with bacon for extra indulgence.  Long live the King!”  I ordered The Heat is On with chicken and pineapple. It was really good, actually. All sandwiches are served with chips and carrot sticks. PB & Co is also featured in the Scavenger Munch Hunt that Watson Adventures runs in the Village. An especially great hunt for any foodie at any level and you pick up great trivia bits along the way!

Love Me Tenders

I flipped to a program on Elvis’ Love Songs on PBS and they were talking about his song, “Love Me Tender” which, by the way, is actually the tune of an American folk song, “Aura Lee,” and I was reminded of the time I ate at Thai Select on 9th Ave at 36th. While looking at the menu, the item “Love Me Tenders” caught my eye and I had to order just for sake of saying, “I’ll have the Love Me Tenders, please.” Although I would have enjoyed hearing my date say, “She’ll have the Love Me Tenders,” even more! The dish was pork tenders with a sweet glaze served with sticky rice and papaya salad. Love me sweet!